West Linn tries to raise development density

West Linn is running out of large, undeveloped tracts of land, so the city is looking inward – toward lots in its core – for growth.

West Linn City Council assembled a task force to find ways to entice developers to fill vacant lots and thus increase density. The task force’s planners, citizens, developers and city staffers are expected next month to start developing a slew of zoning code amendments that could be ready for the council to review in late March 2011.

The city is 95 percent built out, according to Michael Babbitt, a planning commissioner. As infill developments become more likely, the city says changes are necessary.

West Linn presently uses a Planned Unit Development approach for planning because of the prevalence of large housing developments over the last decade. The approach accounts for commercial developments and public utilities, among other factors. But now the city wants new regulations for the smaller developments it anticipates.

Chris Kerr

Related

“Most of these lots have already been combed over by developers, and the ones that are left either are shaped weird or have environmental challenges,” said Chris Kerr, a senior city planner leading the task force. “We want to make these sites attractive to developers, as well as make sure (that) when they are developed, they conform with the surrounding area.”

The task force in June started phase one, which includes an outline of the group’s work plan. The group will present that plan to City Council on Dec. 6. Phase two involves development of zoning code amendments and city incentives.

“We basically sat down as a group and went over the entire code and laid out what are the issues we wanted to look at,” Babbitt said. “We are going to look at those issues (after the December work session).”

Work on possible amendments hasn’t officially started, but the group has a few ideas.

One of these would be to allow flag lots – parcels with a long skinny piece of land connected to a rectangular lot – within the city. Oftentimes cities require such lots to be subdivided with adjacent lots. Flag lots would provide more development opportunities at lower costs.

The group also wants to reduce red tape for developing smaller lots constrained by natural features, such as running water or drastic slopes.

City code uses the same language for a 2-acre lot and a 50-acre lot, Kerr said. The task force wants to alter the language so that developers of smaller, environmentally constrained lots won’t have to follow the strict guidelines for larger lots, he said.

“Some of these lots are undevelopable because the setback requirements in the code are larger than the actual size of the lot,” Kerr said.

The task force won’t pursue architectural guidelines and review, Kerr added. The city hopes zoning codes can create conformity around the city, but the task force doesn’t want to limit development, he said.

“We want to open up the attractiveness of these lots for development, while also making sure the city has the control it needs to make sure it’s done correctly,” Kerr said.

The task force is looking for opinions from citizens and the development community. The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at West Linn City Hall at 6:30 p.m.